Feb.

25, 2020

Statement from Andrews McMeel Syndication regarding the Close to Home comic for Feb. 21,
2020:

Andrews McMeel Syndication sincerely apologizes to any reader offended by the Close to Home
cartoon dated for Feb. 21, 2020.

The fictional Native American character of Tonto was part of American entertainment media for
more than 85 years, and though the portrayal of Tonto in this comic panel was not in any way
an attempt to degrade Native Americans or members of any indigenous community, we regret
having distributed a comic that could be interpreted as such.

"I would like to apologize to those who found the Feb. 21 panel to be offensive, as I in no way
meant to characterize anyone in the comic in a racist way," Close to Home's creator, John
McPherson, said on Tuesday, Feb. 25. "My comics are meant to entertain, and I'm sorry that
this one was hurtful to some readers. As the great-grandson of a Shawnee woman, I have
always been interested in and concerned with the plight of native people, and I would never
disparage them intentionally."

"Works in the comics medium, like all forms of art, are interpreted in varying ways by individual
readers. That's part of what makes this form of expression so popular," said Clint Hooker,
managing editor of AMS. "That said, we take to heart the reaction of our readers, and going
forward, will strive to be more sensitive and uphold Andrews McMeel's long tradition of
providing quality content to our clients."

Andrews McMeel Syndication has been a leader and innovator in fostering, distributing and
marketing content to newspapers and other media for five decades. For more information, visit
syndication.andrewsmcmeel.com.

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